St. Paul daily globe., 1887-05-01
THE FilMALis,ENGINEEIs.
"A Woman's Career ON u Locomo.
tive i'm England and America.

| There is living in Bridgeport, Conn,
a woman named Hattie Morgans, who,
though only % years of age, has been a
stoker in England and an engineer on Il
freight engine in Connecticut. She is
rather masculine in appearance, and
though her face is weather-beaten, she
is quite handsome. Her story is as fol-
lows:
About five years ago, while she was
living in London, she fell in love with
Ton Winnan,, tho engineer On the
"tlying Scotchman," an express train
which runs between London and Edin-
burgh. She loved him fondly, and was
never happy except when he was near
! her. She was anxious to be constantly
| with him, and it was arranged between
them that she should become his fire
man. So she arrayed herself in coar se
suit OF mems clothes, and was ut once
transformed into handsome young
fireman. Day after day she attended to
her duties, and the p0nderOus engine,
No. S62, with its Sevenfoot drivers, used
| to d0 the mile minute act over the
heavy metals. Both she and Tom kept
their secret well, and she and Tom were
to be married. But on one black day
Tom was killed by being run over by a
Shunted car, and lie died in less than an
hour with his head in Hattie's lap. In
her anguish her SeC.ct was revealed.
She left England, which had no more
happiness for her, and came to this
country. She had some money, but it
scOn dwindled away, and she found that
she must Go something. So again dis
guising herself she applied for fire.
mans position on locomotive on
Connecticut railroad. She served nearly
two years acceptably, and has been
given freight engine. AS she had a
seyenty-four mile run and twenty-seYen
was the number of her engine, it is be-
i!eYed that her ruiz was on the New
York division of the New York, New
Haven & Hartford railroad. She
worked very well, and showed her
skill when her engine got out of repair.
She was finally given the day express to
run, and while there she killed two
men. One was walking ON the track
and she blew the whistle repeatedly. but
he paid no attention, ana tie engine
struck and mangled him. The other
man undertook to drive his wagon over
q grade crossing, and both he and his
horse were mutilated past recognition.
These accidents broke Hattie MOrganS
all up: She was eX0rerated by the oil-
cialS, but she could not sleep, and she
says the men constantly appeared before
her. p,
s Finally, she was running Engine no.
l20, With fast express at the rate Of
fifty miles an hour. Far ahead on the
track she saw something; which she
thought was piece of paper. AS she
neared it she saw itwas Il little child
playing with the dirt and. stones. Its
little life WAS crushed puten the instant.
Hattie tried her. best to reverse the
engine, but i'll vain" When the train
stopped the engineer almost tainted.
That was her last trip. The little child
haunted her day and night and sho had
a severe fit of sickness. Then she re-
sumed her proper dress. She is now en-
gagged to be married to an engineer who
has charge of q SixtY-horSa power en-
gine not far from New Haven. She
hopes on her wedding tour to visit En-
gland, and snow her husband the ''Fly-
ing Scotchman,,,' y where she received her
first lessons in railroaaing." But she can
never, she says, forget tho lives that
were crushed out when she stood in the
cab and sent the locomotive along at
almest lightning speed,